


"I..."

by celt_the_flame_3110



Series: The Marching Band AU 'verse [4]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Marching Band, Bathing/Washing, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Caretaking, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dehydration, Eddie Kaspbrak Has a Crush, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Good Parents Maggie & Wentworth Tozier, Guilt, Hair Brushing, Hair Washing, High School, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Marching Band, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier Has a Crush, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Sick Character, Sickfic, Soft Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Swearing, Wordcount: 5.000-10.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23184097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celt_the_flame_3110/pseuds/celt_the_flame_3110
Summary: It was Saturday morning, one of the only Saturday mornings that there wasn’t a band competition. Eddie had gotten a phone call from Maggie Tozier around eleven. She told him that Richie was dehydrated and wasn’t feeling well. Wentworth was on a business trip and Maggie was at work covering a coworker’s shift. Neither of them had any way to go home to check on their son. She called their house four times but Richie never answered. She tried calling Stan next but the Uris family didn’t seem to be home. So, she called Eddie to ask if he could go check on him.That’s why Eddie was now riding his bike to Richie’s house with a travel cooler containing water, Gatorade, juice, fruit, and other snacks. He also had a separate bag with some medicine and epsom salts.ORRichie is dehydrated and Eddie goes to his house to take care of him.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: The Marching Band AU 'verse [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590559
Comments: 13
Kudos: 126





	"I..."

**Author's Note:**

> It has been far too long since I've written about my band kids, so I have remedied that error.
> 
> I don't think I have to warn about anything. If there's something troubling in this fic that I need to war about, please let me know and I'll add it.
> 
> I am a woman of few words when I'm tired, lol. Enjoy the fic!

It was Saturday morning, one of the only Saturday mornings that there wasn’t a band competition. Eddie had gotten a phone call from Maggie Tozier around eleven. She told him that Richie was dehydrated and wasn’t feeling well. Wentworth was on a business trip and Maggie was at work covering a coworker’s shift. Neither of them had any way to go home to check on their son. She called their house four times but Richie never answered. She tried calling Stan next but the Uris family didn’t seem to be home. So, she called Eddie to ask if he could go check on him.

That’s why Eddie was now riding his bike to Richie’s house with a travel cooler containing water, Gatorade, juice, fruit, and other snacks. He also had a separate bag with some medicine and epsom salts.

Maggie didn’t ask him to bring anything or even to stay at their house, she just wanted Eddie to drop by for a few minutes to make sure Richie was doing okay. But Eddie loved Richie and he hated it when he didn’t feel well. He wanted to make sure his friend got better as soon as possible, so he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that happened.

Eddie was fully aware that Richie could be dehydrated from sickness, and that he could be walking into his worst nightmare, but he _knew_ that wasn’t the case. Richie had a bad habit of not taking good care of himself. He also noticed that Richie wasn’t drinking enough water at the football game the previous night. Eddie would have told Richie to stay hydrated but, since Eddie was in the front ensemble and Richie was in the battery, they weren’t anywhere _near_ each other the whole night.

Eddie had a black, faux leather jacket on to keep himself warm in the chilly, October air. Well… okay, it was technically Richie’s jacket. Since Richie and Eddie went to each other’s houses often, they usually left various articles of clothing at the other’s house. This meant that they often wore each other’s clothes. 

Eddie _loved_ wearing Richie’s sweatshirts. They were big on him and they smelled like him too. Eddie had no clue why Richie wore _his_ clothing, though. Don’t get it wrong, Eddie _loved_ seeing Richie in his clothes. It was easy to pretend, even for just a moment, that Richie was his boyfriend and was wearing one of his sweaters. It just confused him since Eddie was smaller than Richie, so all of his clothes were kind of tight on him. It was probably a convenience thing, honestly. He probably just scooped one of Eddie’s sweaters off of his bedroom floor, sniffed it, and threw it on before leaving the house.

When Eddie got to Richie’s house, he didn’t even knock. He knew the Tozier’s kept a spare key buried in the potting soil of one of the window flower boxes.

Once Eddie got the door unlocked, he went inside and sat his bags down on the dining room table. He put some of the items in the fridge and freezer, then grabbed a bottle of water before going upstairs to Richie’s room. Eddie gently knocked on the door and, since he never got an answer, went inside hoping that Richie wasn’t dead.

When Eddie entered, he saw Richie sprawled out on his bed. He was asleep, dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. He was still breathing (thank God) and his glass, which most likely contained water at one point, was empty. Eddie carefully sat down at the foot of Richie’s bed.

“Rich, wake up.” Eddie said softly.

When Richie didn’t stir, Eddie gently shook his leg.

Seconds later, Richie woke with a start. “Eds? What are you doing here?”

“Your mom tried calling you four separate times. Since you didn’t answer, she was worried about you, so she called and asked me to come make sure you were okay.”

Richie sighed. “I told her I’m _fine._ You didn’t have to come check on me. You can leave if you want to.”

“She said you were dehydrated. Dehydration can be a serious problem if it’s not taken care of. You don’t want to end up in the hospital, do you?”

“Eds, I’m not gonna end up in the hospital. Don’t be dramatic.”

Eddie huffed. “I’m _not._ If your dehydration becomes severe, you _will_ have to go to the hospital and I don’t want to have to take you to the emergency room. Whether or not you take your own health seriously, _I_ do. Now sit up and let me look at you.”

Richie, caught off guard by Eddie’s snippy tone, compiled without resistance. He sat up with his back against the headboard. Eddie scooted closer to him and his knee touched Richie’s leg. The point of contact made Eddie’s skin feel like it was on fire.

 _Take it easy, horndog._ he scolded himself.

Eddie tilted Richie’s chin up with his hand. “Open your mouth.”

Richie did as he was told, and Eddie saw that Richie’s mouth was dry. Eddie also took note of the chapped lips, how dry his skin felt, and how drowsy his friend looked.

Eddie let go of Richie’s face. “How long have you slept before I got here?”

“On and off all day.” Richie mumbled.

“Any pain?”

“Yeah, I kind of have a headache.”

“When’s the last time you peed?”

Richie squinted. “That’s kind of a personal question, isn’t it?”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “I’m asking you for health reasons, dumbass. Just answer the question.”

Richie thought for a moment. “I can’t remember.”

“Do you feel like you have to go right now?”

Richie shook his head.

Eddie sighed, then he handed Richie the water bottle. “Drink this. Take small, slow sips but finish it. When’s the last time you ate?”

“Mom made sure I ate something this morning. She told me there was food in the kitchen but I’m not really hungry right now.”

“It doesn’t matter, you need to eat. Why the fuck are you dehydrated, anyway? Mr. Frost and all of the section leaders constantly tell us to drink water or, at the very least, Gatorade."

Richie murmured something inaudible.

"What was that?"

"I said, 'I didn't know you could get dehydrated in cold weather.'"

Eddie stared for a minute, then asked, "Seriously?"

Richie nodded, clearly embarrassed.

Eddie sighed. "Well, at least you're honest. Start drinking your water. I'm gonna go get you some food. I'll be right back."

When Richie nodded, Eddie went downstairs to the kitchen. 

He found some vegetable soup in the cabinet. He knew Richie would most likely hate it but Eddie poured it in a pot anyway. While he waited for the soup to heat up he grabbed a bottle of blue gatorade, an apple, and a small plastic bag of pretzels. He also grabbed some Tylenol for Richie’s headache. 

After pouring the soup into a bowl, he brought everything to Richie’s room. Thankfully, it seemed that Richie followed Eddie’s instructions since a quarter of the water bottle was empty.

Eddie sat everything on the nightstand and handed Richie a couple tablets of Tylenol.

“I’m gonna run you a bath while you eat. Yell for me when you’re done and I’ll make sure you make it to the bathroom okay.”

“Eds... you know you don’t have to do _any_ of this, right?”

Eddie hesitated, not sure how to respond for a moment. 

Richie was right, Eddie _didn’t_ have to do any of this. Nobody asked him to and nobody was forcing him. How was he supposed to respond, anyway?

"I…"

_I’m fucking in love with you and I want to make sure you’re okay?_

_I’ve been in love with you since we were children and I would do anything for you?_

_I love you so fucking much that I would pluck the very stars from the sky if you asked me to?_

Eddie settled for something that was half true. “I know I don’t have to. I just care about you and want to make sure you’re okay. You obviously aren’t taking care of yourself, so _someone_ has to do it.”

Richie seemed at a loss for words for a moment. It was _weird._ Richie usually had so many things to say all of the time. So seeing him struggle to say something as simple as “Okay,” was really odd.

“Alright,” Richie finally said. “Um… Thank you, Eddie. Like, legitimately.”

Eddie was totally expecting Richie to respond with some kind of joke. Something like, _You care about me? That’s embarrassing!_ or something similar. Seeing Richie looking at him with such gratitude in his expression and responding in an entirely serious way threw Eddie for a loop.

All Eddie could do was nod and mutter, “Be careful, the soup’s hot.” before leaving the room.

When Eddie entered the bathroom, he filled the bathtub with warm water and mixed in some of the salt he brought. He _really_ hoped he could make it through the day without being creepy towards his crush.

***

Richie wasn’t hungry when Eddie brought him the food but, since he trusted his friend to take care of him, he decided to try to eat anyway.

After the first couple of spoonfuls of soup, his appetite picked up and he finished everything. He sipped both of his drinks slowly. He finished the rest of the water and most of the Gatorade by the time Eddie came back.

Richie just noticed that Eddie was wearing his leather jacket. It was one of Richie’s favorites and he was wondering where it went. Seeing how _fine_ Eddie looked made Richie decide he wasn’t going to ask for it back. Hopefully Eddie would wear it to school every so often.

“You’re done?” Eddie asked.

Richie nodded.

“Alright, come on.”

Eddie extended a hand towards Richie and the taller boy took it. Even though he knew he could get to the bathroom by himself, he never wanted to turn down the chance to hold Eddie’s hand.

Eddie guided Richie to the bathroom and helped him sit on the edge of the tub.

“I’m gonna go grab you a change of clothes. I’ll be back in a second.”

Richie nodded and his friend left the room.

Richie quickly took his clothes off and slid into the bathtub.

He let out a deep sigh at the feeling of the warm water engulfing him and the scent of lavender filling his senses.

Not long after Richie settled in, Eddie quietly rapped on the door. “Rich, you decnet?”

Richie nodded. Then, when he realized Eddie couldn't see him, said, “Yeah.”

Eddie walked in and shut the door behind him. He sat a new outfit and a towel on the closed toilet lid before grabbing the dirty clothes off of the floor. He left again, probably to put them in the laundry room, before coming back a minute later with another bottle of water.

Eddie screwed the cap off of the water and held it to Richie's lips. "Drink."

"You're pumping _a lot_ of fluids into me all at once, Kaspbrak."

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Well your body is severely short on fluids right now, in case you couldn’t tell. Now drink the fucking water."

Richie took a few small sips before Eddie capped the bottle and sat it on the floor.

Eddie sat on the edge of the tub and ran his fingers through Richie’s hair. “Damn, Rich. Your hair is greasy as fuck.”

Richie’s heart throbbed so hard at the gentle touch that he didn’t even force a fake laugh in response to the snide comment.

Eddie grabbed the shampoo bottle and a red solo cup that he must’ve brought from the kitchen.

Eddie uncapped the shampoo bottle and was about to squeeze some into his hand, when Richie spoke. “You know I can do that myself, right?”

Richie had no fucking idea why he even said that. He loved having his hair played with, so having somebody else wash it would probably feel just as good. Especially if _Eddie_ was doing it. 

Eddie blinked, seeming like he was snapped out of a trance, and then nodded. “Right. Sorry, wasn’t thinking.”

Richie tried not to let the disappointment show on his face as Eddie sat the bottle down.

He stood up and was about to leave, when Richie forced himself to speak again. “I mean… you should probably do it.”

Eddie squinted. “Why would I do it if you can do it yourself?”

_Fuck, he’s onto me…_

“Think about it, Spaghetti. Do you _honestly_ think I’m going to do it well?”

Eddie looked like he wanted to protest the nickname, but he was taking pity on Richie’s sick ass. “No… You’ll probably fuck it up.”

Richie nodded. “Exactly.”

He was about to say more but Eddie didn’t seem like he needed further convincing, since he sat down again. 

Eddie picked the bottle back up and squeezed some shampoo into his hand. After filling the cup with some water and wetting Richie’s hair, he started massaging the shampoo in.

Richie’s eyes fluttered shut at the touch and he bit his lip to keep any weird sounds from escaping his lips.

This felt _way_ better than someone playing with his hair. The knowledge that the hands gently stroking his scalp belonged to his long-time crush made it feel _even better._

“Am I being too rough?” Eddie asked.

“No,” Richie murmured. “It feels nice.”

Eddie nodded, continuing to work the shampoo through thoroughly.

Through the blissful haze, Richie could tell that Eddie was trying to look at Richie from the neck up. Even though the bathwater was murky with epsom salt, and there was no possible way that Eddie could see anything below Richie's waist, Eddie kept his eyes trained on Richie's face the _entire_ time. Which made sense. Eddie was straight. There was no reason that he would want to see Richie naked. Eddie was probably very weirded out by being this close to him in this state. Thankfully, Richie was too blissed out to be depressed about being undesirable.

When Eddie was finished shampooing Richie's hair, he rinsed it out with water from the cup. As he rinsed, he held a hand over Richie's eyes to keep any water out of them.

It was such a small gesture but it showed how conscientious Eddie was and it made Richie's heart swell. Hell, the fact that Eddie was sacrificing his free Saturday to take care of his friend made Richie feel so loved. Especially considering how much Richie annoyed him on a daily basis and the fact that Richie's the reason that Eddie had to fake asthma attacks all of the time.

Eddie does _so much_ for Richie and it made his heart soar.

When Eddie was finished, he raised the bottle to Richie's mouth. "Drink."

When Richie was done sipping more water, Eddie grabbed a loofah and shower gel. "Lean forward."

Richie did as he was told and Eddie squeezed some of the gel onto his friend's back.

Eddie scrubbed Richie's back, his brow furrowed in concentration and his tongue stuck out of his mouth slightly. This was something he did when he was a hundred percent focused on a task.

Richie's heart throbbed in his chest and he _really_ wanted to ask Eddie to be his boyfriend. Or at least to go out on a date with him. Unfortunately, to Richie's knowledge, Eddie wasn't interested.

Richie was glad that he was attracted to girls too. This way, he wouldn't even have to come out. He could get married to a woman someday and not be entirely dissatisfied. Unfortunately, he didn't want to get married to a woman. He didn't even want to get married to a man, either. He wanted to get married to one boy in particular, and that was the boy that was currently cleansing him with delicate touches.

"Are you okay, Rich?"

Richie looked up to see his friend had stopped scrubbing and was now studying him with concerned eyes.

Richie cleared his throat. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You look like you're about to cry."

After Eddie mentioned it, Richie _did_ feel like he was about to cry.

"I…"

_I feel like I don't deserve you?_

_I'm overwhelmed with how much I love you?_

_I'm amazed that, after all of these years, you're still willing to put up with me and want to take care of me when I'm sick?_

"I guess I'm just getting sentimental.. About us being friends. I'm just surprised you still put up with me and my shit."

Eddie's worried frown turned into a smile that was almost… _affectionate?_ No, definitely not that. Something close to that, though.

"Aww… I'm surprised you're willing to put up with _my_ shit too."

Richie almost asked, _What shit? You're absolutely perfect,_ but then Eddie was scrubbing Richie's chest and the words died in his throat.

"Let me know if I'm making you uncomfortable." Eddie mumbled.

Richie nodded and Eddie went back to dragging the loofah down the taller boy's torso.

The caresses calmed Richie but having Eddie touch him in a sensual manner caused his heart to race. It was a good racing, though. So he decided to relax and bask in it.

"Lift your arms." Eddie said.

Richie flinched when Eddie scrubbed his side.

Eddie gasped and grinned. "Oh my God, Rich…. Are you _ticklish?"_

Richie lowered his arms, making sure his sides were sufficiently protected. "Um… No?"

Eddie stifled a laugh with his elbow, since his hands were soapy.

When he finally calmed down, Eddie said, "Rich, I have to wash your sides and under your arms."

Richie shook his head.

"Rich, come on. I'm not going to tickle you."

When Richie _still_ didn't comply, Eddie spoke again. "Chee, I'm just trying to clean you off. I'll be careful and if I tickle you, it's not on purpose."

Richie's heart throbbed yet again at that nickname. It's one that Eddie gave him when they were five. It was in retaliation to the Eddie Spaghetti nickname that Richie had for him. _If you get to give me a stupid nickname, I get to give you one too!_

Richie _hated_ it at first. After a while, he grew to love it and liked when Eddie called him that. Eddie stopped using that nickname when they were twelve. He claimed it was childish and Richie agreed, even though he secretly loved it.

Richie lifted his arms again. Eddie scrubbed his sides and underneath his arms, staying true to his word.

Eddie scrubbed the rest of Richie's upper body, never going below Richie's hips.

When Eddie was finally done rinsing the suds off of Richie's body, he raised the bottle to Richie's lips one more time.

Richie drank without being told and, by the time he was finished, half of the water was gone.

Eddie stood. "You've probably been soaking for ten to fifteen minutes but you can stay in longer, if you want. When you're done, dry yourself off and get dressed. Come back to your room and we'll figure out what else needs to be done."

Richie nodded and Eddie grabbed Richie's hairbrush before promptly leaving the room.

***

Eddie was on cloud nine and also internally screaming.

He got to wash Richie's soft curls and run his hands all over his body. Richie didn't tell him to stop and he seemed to enjoy it just as much as Eddie did.

On the other hand, Eddie was wondering if Richie was even in his right mind at the moment. Sure, he _seemed_ normal but dehydration could cause confusion. 

What if Richie wouldn't be fine with this if he could think clearly? What if Richie will be disgusted with Eddie when he's better? What if Eddie just totally took advantage of his friend and ran his hands all over his body without his consent?

Eddie felt nauseous at the implications but shoved the thoughts away. He could apologize to Richie when he gets out of the bathroom. For now, he had a job to do.

Eddie grabbed a cherry popsicle, (Richie's favorite flavor) a fresh bottle of water, and another bottle of Gatorade. He brought everything, including the bottle of Tylenol, to Richie's room.

He set everything on the nightstand, where Richie's hairbrush was sitting.

Eddie wasn't entirely sure why he grabbed it. He knew Richie's curls would be a mess without being brushed but he didn't know if he should do it for him or not. Especially after what just happened.

Eddie decided that he would do it if he was _positive_ that Richie wasn't confused or out of his right mind.

Richie entered his room a few minutes later, now dressed in a blue t-shirt with a corgi on it and gray sweatpants. He looked handsome as ever. He looked even better since his clothes actually went together. The dumbass would wear a yellow t-shirt and neon green basketball shorts and call it a "look." Who was he kidding? Richie even looked fine in _that_ atrocious outfit.

"Eds, you good?" Richie asked, sitting on his bed.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You just look kind of pale. Dehydration's not contagious, man. You're gonna be alright."

"No, it's not that. It's just uh… how are you feeling?"

Eddie settled down on the bed next to Richie and faced him. 

Richie smiled. "Much better, actually."

"Are you, um… confused at all? I probably should have asked you when I first got here."

Richie's smile faded. "No. What made you think I was confused? I was just a little groggy when you woke me up, that's all."

"That's not what I'm talking about. What I meant was, are you okay with what happened a minute ago?"

Richie did an adorable head tilt.. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I have been?"

Eddie shrugged. "I dunno. I was just worried that I was making you uncomfortable."

"Nope, I wasn't uncomfortable at all. I didn't give any indication that I was, did I?"

"No, you didn't. It's just that I …"

_I feel weird about what I did?_

_I feel like I did something wrong?_

_I touched parts of your body without your explicit consent; It wasn't sexual but, since I have a crush on you and there's no way that you feel the same way, it makes me feel gross and I feel like I took advantage of you?_

Eddie sighed, staring intently at the floor. "I didn't ask you if I could wash your body off. I just… did it. I feel like I overstepped and did something you wouldn't let me do if you were in your right mind."

"I _was_ in my right mind. I wasn't confused or disoriented. My dehydration isn't _that_ bad. Eddie, look at me."

Eddie shook his head but Richie gently grabbed the sides of his face and forced their eyes to meet.

Richie was smiling in a way that was almost… _loving?_ No, not that. It was a kind smile, though.

"Eds, I'm not confused. I have been in my right mind this _entire_ time. I was okay with what was happening. Maybe I should've made it more clear. You even told me to tell you if I was uncomfortable. I never did, because I never was."

Eddie heaved a deep sigh, trying to eject the gross feeling from his body. "I should have _asked_ you, though. I didn't and that was _wrong."_

Richie kept Eddie's face cradled in one big hand and held one of Eddie's with the other. Eddie's heart skipped a beat.

"I can see why you're upset. I'm telling you right now, you didn't do anything wrong and you didn't cross any lines. I was perfectly okay with what happened. I was more than okay with it, actually. It was really nice."

Eddie felt the weight crushing his chest lighten when Richie uttered that last sentence. "You liked it?"

"Yeah, it was really relaxing. So don't worry about it, okay?"

Eddie nodded. "Okay."

They sat there in silence for a moment, Richie still cupping his face and holding his hand. He stroked his thumb across Eddie's knuckles idly.

"We should probably assess your symptoms." Eddie said after a while.

Richie nodded, letting go of Eddie's face but still holding his hand.

"How's your headache?"

"It's gone."

"Open your mouth."

Richie complied and Eddie saw that his mouth was a little more wet than it was before. When he placed a hand on his forehead, his skin didn't feel as dry. He still had to consume more fluids but he's better than he was when Eddie first arrived.

Eddie handed Richie more water and he slowly sipped without having to be told.

Eddie lifted the hairbrush. "Can I brush your hair?"

Richie nodded.

Eddie positioned himself to where his back was against the headboard. Richie moved to where he was sitting in front of Eddie, between his legs, and he lied down.

"Is this okay?" Richie asked, resting his head on Eddie's lap.

Eddie swallowed. "Yeah."

Before he went to work on Richie's hair, Eddie unwrapped the popsicle and handed it to his friend. "Here, suck on this."

"That's what he said."

The joke was dumb but Eddie let out a bright, genuine laugh. From where Richie was positioned, Eddie could see his beautiful smile.

When he finally stopped laughing, Eddie said, "Let me know if anything hurts, if you're uncomfortable, or-"

"Eds, don't worry. I'll let you know. I promise."

Eddie started gently running the brush through Richie's hair, trying to avoid snagging any tangles. Richie let out a relaxed breath, his eyes briefly closing.

After Eddie made his way through half of the tangles, he noticed Richie was done with the popsicle and took the stick from his mouth. "You're going to choke on it, dumbass."

"That's what he said."

Eddie giggled. "Dammit, why am I laughing at your stupid fucking jokes? Shut the fuck up."

Richie smiled.

As Eddie continued brushing Richie's hair, he started scratching lightly at his scalp with his free hand. Richie made a contented noise and unwound further into Eddie's hold.

Richie yawned. "You know you can leave anytime you want to, right?"

"Do you _want_ me to leave?"

"No, but this is the last Saturday in the season that we have off. I just figured you'd want to go do something fun, instead of taking care of me."

"I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing."

"Catching up on homework? Hanging out with Bev? Relaxing at home? Going to the quarry? Literally _anything_ else?"

"All of my homework's done, I finished everything this morning. Bev already had plans to hang out with Ben. Relaxing at home would require being around my mother. So, um… no fucking thanks. I only go to the quarry because all of the other Losers are there. Otherwise, swimming in water that'll most likely infect me with Giardia doesn't sound like fun. Honestly, this seems like the most exciting thing I could be doing today."

Richie scoffed. "You hate illness. Taking care of a sick person is _exciting_ for you?"

"Well what you have isn't contagious, first of all. Secondly-"

Eddie stopped himself before he could say, _Secondly, even if you were contagious I would take care of you._

“Secondly if your mom hadn’t called me, I would have just been stuck at home with my mother. She would’ve either sent me to the pharmacy or lectured me on why joining the battery is a bad idea. Neither of those are fun. So, trust me, this is _way_ better.”

Richie gazed up at him with his soft, brown eyes. “Well regardless of whether or not you’re enjoying this, thank you for taking care of me. I feel better than I have all day.”

Eddie smiled. “No problem. Thanks for letting me. I’m surprised you did, considering how fucking stubborn you are.”

Richie’s lips curled upward into that warm smile again. “I wouldn’t have let anyone else, for the record.”

“Not even Stan?”

“Nope.”

The admission made Eddie unreasonably happy. He continued brushing Richie’s hair until all of the tangles were gone and his curls were back to their original state.

Eddie brushed his fingers through the taller boy’s curls for a moment before slowly withdrawing his hands. The moment he stopped, Richie looked… _disappointed?_ The facial expression was gone as soon as it appeared.

“Eds, will you take a nap with me?”

“Well… I don’t know how I feel about both of us sleeping. I mean, what if something happens to you?”

“Eduardo, I’ll be fine. All of the fluids you made me drink have made me feel significantly better.”

When Eddie still didn’t feel convinced, Richie added, “I’ll drink some more water first. Will that make you feel better?”

Eddie nodded.

Richie sat up and grabbed the bottle of water. “Okay, cool. You should probably change into something more comfortable.”

“I didn’t bring anything.”

Richie laughed. “So? You can borrow something from me. Besides, I probably have some of your stuff in my closet or dresser at this point.”

Eddie got up from the bed and grabbed some clothes before leaving to change.

***

Richie slowly drank as he finished writing in his journal. It was a simple, brown leather bound journal with a magnetic clasp. He bought it sometime in middle school but he never used it until now. He decided to write weekly, mostly about marching band and Eddie. 

He wrote about band because he loved it and would probably want to read about his experiences as an adult. He wrote about Eddie because… well, who else was he supposed to whine about his unrequited love to? Stan knew about it and he offered to listen to him, but Richie knew there was only so much his bird loving friend could take before he would be fed up with the whole thing.

He just finished writing about Eddie taking care of him and put the journal away, when Eddie came back in.

He was wearing Richie’s gray sweatshirt, which was adorably big on him, and a pair of his running shorts. They were purple and barely reached his midthigh. They made Richie weak in the knees and he was glad that he was sitting.

Eddie sat his polo and jeans that he was previously wearing on Richie’s desk chair.

He held the jacket up. “Where do you want me to put this?”

Richie just stared stupidly, his brain still short circuiting over those fucking shorts. “Huh?”

“This is yours. Do you just want me to stick it in your closet?”

Richie _finally_ regained his composure and shrugged, attempting to appear nonchalant. “Keep it.”

Eddie blinked. “What? Why?”

“I haven’t worn it in a while and don’t really want it anymore. Besides, it looks better on you.”

Eddie studied his friend with suspicious eyes.

Richie laughed. “I’m not fucking with you, dude. I’m serious. Keep it. It’s gonna get cold outside soon, anyway. You need something heavier than that windbreaker to keep you warm.”

Eddie finally nodded, sitting it down on the chair. “Alright, um… Thanks, Rich.”

Richie nodded, internally rejoicing that Eddie stopped protesting. 

Richie sat his glasses on the nightstand before lying down, scooting over so Eddie could lay down beside him. Eddie lied down, leaving a few inches between them.

Richie scooted closer, carefully draping a hand over Eddie’s waist. 

He sincerely hoped that this wouldn’t cause Eddie to leave in panic or disgust. They spent the night together frequently and typically shared a bed. They usually stayed confined to their own sides and Richie had always been too scared to go beyond that. Today he was feeling bold.

Eddie glanced over and Richie was about to take his arm back.

Then Eddie asked, almost shyly, “Wanna cuddle?”

Richie nodded, trying not to cry. This was one of the things he _always_ wanted to do with Eddie but he was always too scared to initiate it. He was most likely taking pity on Richie, since he wasn't feeling well, but still.

Eddie rolled over on his side, facing Richie. He wrapped both arms around his taller friend and pulled him closer to his chest. Richie immediately reciprocated with his own embrace. Richie relaxed into the hold and he felt Eddie relax too.

Since Richie knew he was sick and Eddie let a lot of things slide today, he mumbled, “Can you play with my hair?”

Richie was about to play it off as a joke, when Eddie started dragging a hand through his hair. Richie made a soft, happy noise and let his eyes drift shut at the sensation. Eddie playing with his hair felt better than anyone else doing it.

After a moment, Eddie cleared his throat. “You know you can ask for this when you’re not sick, right?”

Richie opened his eyes. “What?”

Eddie wasn’t making eye contact with him and he looked almost sheepish. “You don’t have to wait until you’re ill to ask me if I wanna cuddle or play with your hair. I’m not gonna say ‘no.’”

Richie’s breath caught in his throat and he found himself at a loss for words. The fact that Eddie was okay with cuddling with him, the fact that it seemed like he _wanted_ to, threw Richie for a loop in the best possible way. 

Maybe this was an indication that Richie’s love for Eddie wasn’t unrequited…

Seconds later, Eddie quickly added, “I mean, friends cuddle all of the time. Bev and I do it when she comes to my house. I’ve even braided her hair a few times.” He made eye contact with Richie and smiled. “It doesn’t have to be weird.”

Well, so much for requited love…

Richie smiled back, trying his best to make it seem genuine. “Right, it’s only weird if you make it weird. The same goes for me. If there's ever a time that you want to sleep less than three feet apart, that’s cool.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”

When Richie realized that Eddie hadn't been _nearly_ annoyed enough for his liking, he reached over and pinched his cheek. “Cute, cute, cute!”

Eddie’s soft expression hardened and he glared before swatting his hand away. “You are the _fucking worst.”_

Richie laughed. “I can’t help it, you’re adorable.”

Eddie rolled his eyes but his scowl turned upward at the corners. “Alright. Go the fuck to sleep, dumbass.”

Eddie started scratching at Richie’s scalp and the taller boy made a sound that was almost like a pur. Richie curled closer to his friend and drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, are these two morons (I say that in the most affectionate way possible lol.) Also, mutual pining intensifies.
> 
> My mind is blank at the moment and I don't think I have anything else to say lol.
> 
> I hope you have an awesome day!


End file.
